


interlude: sea maiden, tears of pearl

by niuu



Series: interlude: a retelling of fairytales [1]
Category: Den lille Havfrue | The Little Mermaid - Hans Christian Andersen, Fairy Tales & Related Fandoms, Original Work, The Little Mermaid - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Fairy Tale Retellings, Internalized Homophobia, Mermaids, Ocean, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25941496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niuu/pseuds/niuu
Summary: The moon burns, my dear; it is a rhapsody that sings to the heart of the sea. Your cold heart.
Relationships: Den lille Havfrue | The Little Mermaid/Prinsesse | Princess
Series: interlude: a retelling of fairytales [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1902544
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	interlude: sea maiden, tears of pearl

**Author's Note:**

> Well, looks like it’s still 2020 and I’m finally back with some short piece before I move onto longer pieces. Enjoy.
> 
> Lines inspired by quotes/song lyrics: 
> 
> “The moon burns.”  
> — **Meena Alexander** , from _Quickly Changing River: Poems; Self-Portrait in a Floating Mirror_.
> 
> “Death flutes in my throat. I crown my heart with a feather. I marry the wind, and nothing but torn maps and thunderstorms shall mark my going.”  
> — **Adonis** , from _Remembering the First Century_.
> 
> “If the oceans not enough, nor am I...  
> Run your morning bath in sea foam  
> Soak your milky skin in the tide.”  
> — **Peach Pit** , _Alrighty Aphrodite_.
> 
> “O lovely demon, half-divine! Hemlock and hydromel and gall, Honey and aconite and wine Mingle to make that mouth of thine— Thy mouth I love: but most of all It is thy tears that I desire— Thy tears, like fountain-drops that fall In gardens red, Satanical; Or like the tears of mist and fire, Wept by the moon, that wizards use To secret runes when they require Some silver philtre, sweet and dire.”  
> — **Clark Ashton Smith** , _Tears of Lilith_.
> 
> “The evening is my book. Its fine purple damask covers fasten with gold clasps; and cool-handed I reach, unhasting, to release them.”  
> — **Rainer Maria Rilke** , _In Celebration of Myself_.
> 
> “What was my mad heart dreaming of?”  
> — **Sappho** , tr. by Aaron Poochigian.
> 
> “She blossoms out in organdy and silk.”  
> — **Henry Miller** , _Opus Pistorum_.
> 
> “The voice of the sea speaks to the soul.”  
> — **Kate Chopin**.

♆

The moon burns, my dear; it is a rhapsody that sings to the heart of the sea. Your cold heart. You breathe sea foam and sea salt alike into me; it flutes down my throat, unrelenting as the crashing waves. Know that I would drown for you.

I wept by the shore as I recalled how you soaked in the milky tide, sea pearls adorning your skin. Your erotic form unfurled something within me. Sensual lines, elegant motions haunt my dreams. Even if I fled, I could never escape; even then, you'd somehow find your way into my nightmares too. You have embedded your existence into my very soul, and I do not know how to ask you to release me from your siren spell.

O lovely maiden, half-divine! I know not what to call this feeling. Looking into the face of your ethereal beauty reminds me how no mortal can compare. Your limpid eyes, pearlescent skin, lyrical voice enraptures me — holds me captive. No rouge-lipped lady at court could catch my eye like you do. Cruel siren, tell me, do I captivate you as much as you do me?

You bring me pieces of glass birthed from the sea and your eyes linger as I run my tongue along their smooth edges, trying to absorb the tang of brine into me so that I am more like you. I may belong to the earth, yet I can never be free as you are. I will never bathe in sea foam, will never submerge myself beneath the waves and let the water claim me as its own.

I can see the sea silver-hemmed from my chambers, how it meets the sky in a embrace, as if they have been lovers from the very start. It churns and froths, spits spray into the air and collides with the wreaths of mist that lap the sand. There is something unconquerable about the ocean. It is unstoppable as Time, and I cannot help but think of you when I stare out at the water. You are truly a daughter of the sea.

Some sweet philter you must have given me, for I cannot comprehend why you enthrall me so, why my mind drifts to the image of you when I set down my embroidery. Release your enchantment, bewitcher. Even now, I stare, unseeing, at the fine damask covers of my book, fastened with golden clasps. _Please,_ I do not understand why I feel this way for you.

What is my mad heart dreaming of? Tears blur my eyes, clot in my lashes as the sharp scent of salt reaches me. Shame burns its way through me; I do not know why my heart yearns for you so — I am meant to warm the bed of a nobleman.

Little pearl, these wretched tears escape me, staining the organdy and silk of my gown. I cannot stop them. Your resplendent scales gleam like the opals of my mother’s necklace and I wish to touch them. When you lift yourself upon the rocks and let the sun warm your tail, I have to stop myself from caressing your glossy fins. This desire of mine taints every part of me.

Some vile part of me wants to press my lips to yours, to become one with a woman made of land and sea. I am a loathsome creature for wanting to blight your purity. _Forgive me, my love._

You tell me, in that mellifluous voice of yours, of a man with lips as red as a songbird’s heart and hair as russet as a fox’s pelt. You tell me under the dawn-kissed sky how something calls you from afar, farther than even the deepest, coldest parts of the ocean depths from whence you came. Fair maiden, I have to come to understand that if the ocean’s not enough for you, then neither am I. I can not be what you want. My company will never be enough; my presence cannot satisfy you. _He_ is what you desire.

I do not allow myself to feel anything from your words. The strings of kelp woven into your hair sway as your eyes light up. The alabaster of your skin flushes with color as you blush, besotted. It does not make you any less beautiful, though.

The truth is: though I long for you, I cannot say that we belong together because salt runs in your blood and grime dirties mine. You will surely beguile that handsome youth you speak of with your melodious voice and fine features. I will fade into memory, another trinket for some duke’s amusement.

Women like me are not remembered. Our beauty fades while yours is eternal. Our tongues falter while yours strengthens with each song you sing. We do not dive into the depths, reaching for something that tastes like freedom. I will never know what it feels like to not be weighed down by the shackles of society and expectation. 

So, swim free, my little mermaid, and claim what is rightfully yours.

The night fades and you coax me back down to the seashore, my feet bare against the warm sand. The sun is mellow and the sky is clear. In your hands you offer me cracked shells and glistening pearls collected from the seabed. You are both thoughtful and thoughtless. How can you give me such things when your heart belongs to another? Do you not know how much it hurts?

I take your offerings and smile, gentle as the morning light. I will store them in a lacquered chest hidden behind my bookshelves alongside the rest of your treasures. 

My dear, there is a boy with fox-fur hair and blood-red lips by the shore today. My heart is heavy as I stare at him; it feels as though stones weigh down my body. He blinks open ocean-blue eyes and coughs up seawater. Then, he pushes himself up and gazes at me like I am something to worship. 

I cannot not answer as he asks me if I had saved him; all I can taste is ash. I falter where I stand. He professes his love to me even though I do not think he knows what love is. He does not even know my name. 

My father tells me I am to be wedded to your prince, and my voice grates like the sound of my fingers scrabbling against the windowpane as I yearn to reach you. My love, please forgive me. I didn't mean to dull the shine in your eyes. I didn't mean to cause you to shed tears of pearl, even if you were so beautiful as you cried. I did not mean you any harm. 

Little mermaid, please come back. Come back to me. The moon burns. It burns and burns into me. I cannot feel anything as the maids titter around me, sweeping me in lace and white. White as your skin. White as the moonlight. 

A threnody sings to the heart of the sea. Your heart. My lament. But you do not come and the ocean is silent evermore.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback and criticism are always welcome and in fact are encouraged. I honestly can’t believe I have to say this, but trolling and straight-up hate and negativity will not be tolerated. This may be fanfiction, but if you don’t have actual constructive criticism to give me and are just here to hate, I’m going to have to ask you to not read my works or refrain from commenting at all. Let’s all be civil people here.


End file.
